“It is important that higher education leaders nationwide join together to support strengthening K-12 standards and curriculum in our states.”

UB President Satish K. Tripathi

BUFFALO, N.Y. – University at Buffalo President Satish K.
Tripathi today joined more than 200 college and university leaders
from 30 states in a new coalition, Higher Ed for Higher Standards,
to mobilize in support of strengthening K-12 standards and
curricula in our nation’s schools.

“It is important that higher education leaders nationwide
join together to support strengthening K-12 standards and
curriculum in our states,” said Tripathi.
“Strengthening the preparation of U.S. K-12 students will
help them succeed on our nation’s college campuses, as well
as prepare them for successful lives and careers after they
graduate from college.”

Nationwide, approximately 20 percent of students entering
four-year institutions are diverted into remedial coursework due to
lack of academic preparedness. Of those, a little more than a third
complete bachelor’s degrees in six years.

UB’s six-year graduation rate is 72 percent. Nationally,
the six-year graduation rate for public research universities is
56.5 percent. UB, Tripathi noted, has a strong focus on
programs to retain students and improve four- and six-year
graduation rates. For example, UB’s Finish in 4 program
pledges to provide entering UB freshmen with the academic resources
they need to graduate in four years by providing a
“roadmap” of what courses to take and when, and what
grades and other requirements must be met, as well as regular
academic, career and financial advisement to enable students to
complete their degrees on time.

UB also offers programs for under-prepared students or
academically at-risk students who are not eligible for regular
admission to the university. UB’s Access to College
Excellence (ACE) Program welcomes a broad range of academically
talented students and provides support services to students for
their first two years to help them maximize their abilities,
facilitate the transition from high school to college and ensure
successful entry into an academic major at UB.

UB’s Arthur O. Eve Educational Opportunity Program (EOP)
provides an avenue for admission and means of support for talented
students who have not reached their full academic potential. The
EOP Summer Program is a four-week residential program designed to
help students prepare for their freshman year of study and adjust
to UB’s environment and culture.

Tripathi pointed out that UB is also leading several initiatives
to strengthen curricula, learning and college preparation in
Western New York schools. These include:

UB’s Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering
Partnership (ISEP) is developing hands-on learning programs in
science and technology in the Buffalo Public Schools as way to help
prepare students to study science, technology, engineering and
mathematics in college.

The university’s Buffalo Partnership Project provides
teachers at Lafayette High School with techniques to better teach
refugee children fundamental skills in writing and social studies.
The program emphasizes using some of the latest technology to reach
students in ways traditional methods have failed.

UB’s FAFSA project helps high school students and their
families complete applications for federal financial aid. The
program has helped produce a 61 percent increase in the number of
Buffalo Public Schools students who have completed the financial
aid application for college enrollment.